This invention generally relates to safety devices for vehicles and more particularly to a force transmitting device which will limit and control the motion of a vehicle seat during a crash and more particularly to a seat retracting device which when activated causes the seat to be lowered during a crash and held at a preferred height.
Seats used in large trucks are often supported by a suspension and support mechanism that permits the seat to move or be moved over a range of positions relative to the vehicle floor. Typically the seat suspension mechanism includes a shock absorber to damp the oscillations of the seat and support mechanism as well as an air cushion which acts as a spring. The seat suspension mechanisms used in many trucks may also permit the seat to slide or float horizontally (upon the mechanism) in a somewhat uncontrolled manner in response to forces applied by the occupant or driver.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a force transmitting or seat retracting mechanism which is capable of drawing the seat toward the floor and one which optimally maintains the seat at a predetermined lowered position relative to the floor during and after an accident.
The prior art shows a number of ways of restraining the motion of a truck seat. As an example U.S. Pat. No. 5,642,916 discloses a tethering system which includes a retractor that is secured to the seat which prohibits movement of the seat during an accident. U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,094 illustrates another seat controlled system in which a fluid cylinder is mounted exterior to the seat and support mechanism and which when activated pulls the seat down toward the floor. A deficiency of the above type of configurations is that space is required to mount those additional components outside of the profile of the seat and/or its suspension.
Accordingly the invention comprises: a seat; a seat suspension means for supporting the seat and permitting the seat to move relative to a vehicle floor. The seat suspension means includes support element means comprising at least one movable member which moves as the seat is moved closer to the floor and seat lowering means connected to the support element means for forcibly moving the movable member to thereby lower the position of the seat relative to the floor to the first determinable position. The invention optionally includes lock means for maintaining the seat lowering means at a position corresponding to the lowered seat position.
Many other objects and purposes of the invention will be clear from the following detailed description of the drawings.